The Cycle Continues
by MrHyphen
Summary: This is a continuation from Inheritance, as I felt the cliffhanger was too cliffy. Do not read if you have not read Inhertiance, maybe i will spoil some things :O Enjoy :D
1. Deciding a Course

**Hello Readers, it's been a VERY long time since I've written anything for FF. Over a year now =( I dunno if I can compete with some of the stuff I've been reading lately, it's been really good, but I'll try.**

**Like most people, I depised the Cliffhanger of Cliffhangers after Inheritance, so I just HAD to continue it, no matter what ^^ This takes place in a land Eragon has named Vralrim (just a random name I came up with :P), but it will continue from the end of Inheritance, so sit back, go get a snack or something, and enjoy this the most you can (although you probably will write a 10000 character long flame telling me how bad this story was!)**

Eragon sat on the edge of the boat, his legs swinging over the edge as he stared into the distance, wondering what was in store for him.

_Little one, _Saphira said.

_Yes? _Eragon inquired.

_I spot land. I am very hungry from all this flying. I shall go have a snack before coming back,_ Saphira said, a little tiredly.

_Alright then, enjoy your "snack",_ Eragon smiled. Saphira wheeled around to the left and flew off, her entire body twinkling and her enormous wings flapped, just enough to keep her airborne. It was a majestic sight.

Eragon turned back to stare into the surf. He missed Roran, Katrina, Arya, Jeod, and all his friends back on Alagaesia, but the pain in his heart had receded to a dull _thump-thump_.

"Hello Shadeslayer," Blodhgarm said softly, bowing to Eragon. "Would you like breakfast at this time?"

"No thank you Blodhgarm, thank you for asking," Eragon replied. The elf bowed before retreating back to the stern of the ship.

The sun had just risen, it was a beautiful morning, with the sun sparking off the blue-green ocean. The skies were without a cloud. A pod of dolphins were swimming beside the ship. A few jumped up in a beautiful arc before diving back into the ocean again. Eragon smiled at that. The ship rocked as it traversed over waves, yet the rocking was gentle, almost soothing.

Eragon amused himself for an hour by throwing a stone out as far as he could before saying, "ganga aptr" or "ganga fram" to move the rock as far out as he could before he could barely hold onto it. Then he made it return to his hand before repeating the process. By that time, Saphira had returned.

_What are you doing little one? _Saphira asked curiously.

_I am testing myself,_ Eragon replied.

_Eragon,_ Saphira sighed. _You are the strongest mage in the entire world. You're skill with a blade is also fearful, yet you feel the need to test yourself with a rock?_

_ Now that you put it that way... _Eragon sighed. _I don't know Saphira, I'm just bored out of my wits_.

Saphira roared. She grasped Eragon in her claws and sprang upwards. Eragon, surprised, could only go along with her as she flew up. She flew up and up, until the ship was a tiny speck in the huge, vast plains of the ocean. Then she dove. Eragon could barely hold himself from not screaming as she plunged down, her wings drawn close to her body, almost forming an arrow. She dove until she almost crashed into the sea, which would be a sure death, before flaring her wings and stopping a mere five feet above the water.

As Saphira held Eragon there, slowly flapping her wings, she inquired, _Are you bored now Eragon?_

Laughing, Eragon replied, _Not at all. Thank you Saphira._

_ I was extremely upset when you said you were bored,_ Saphira remarked as she set Eragon upon the ship again.

_I imagined so_, Eragon said sagely as he wobbled on the deck. Blodhgarm hurried up to them. "Argetlam! What is the matter?" he asked.

Saphira and Eragon looked at each other, then burst out laughing. The elf looked at them curiously as they laughed. Saphira was quite a sight when laughing. Air wheeshed in and out of her lungs, and spurts of fire came out of her nostrils. "It's nothing Blodhgarm,"

Blodhgarm stared at them for a second before bowing and said, "Yes Shur'tugal" and again walking back to the stern. Eragon frowned slightly.

_I wonder what they are doing at the stern, _he remarked to Saphira.

_I'm sure it's nothing, _Saphira remarked. _You can go check if you wish. Now if you'll excuse me, this tiny boat is much too small for a dragon such as I._

_ Indeed._ Eragon replied. Saphira jumped up and flapped her wings. The boat immediately tilted to the left for a long second before righting itself.

_Saphira!_ Eragon cried.

_Sorry._ Saphira flew up to the top of the boat before delicately holding the mast in her paws to stop the rocking of the ship. _Is that better?_

_Much._ Eragon grumbled. Eragon walked back to the stern, wondering what the other elves were doing back there.

When he arrived at the stern, he saw the group of four elves hovering around a map, arguing softly. Eragon was surprised. It was rare to see elves argue. Blodhgarm was the first to see Eragon. He stood and bowed, which in Eragon's opinion, was overkill, but Eragon dare not tell the elf that. "Welcome Shadeslayer," he said. The other elves stood up and bowed as well.

"Good morning to all. What's the matter?" Eragon asked.

"We have a map drawn up by the old ones who knew of lands outside of Alegaesia," Blodhgarm remarked. "We are trying to decide which one to visit. Each has their own strengths and faults, yet we do not know which is the perfect location," The other elves nodded.

"May I have a look?" Eragon inquired. Blodhgarm pushed the map towards him. Eragon sat down and looked at the map. There were four different islands, all roughly the same size. "So what appears to be the problem?" he asked.

"This one here," Blodhgarm pointed to the island furthest to the left, "has high mountains and a valley, which will be good for protection, but to get water, we would need to traverse to the other side and build waterworks to reach the valley." Eragon frowned. He knew that water was the key to life. Water helped them grow food, quench their thirst, bathe, they absolutely needed water.

"This one," Blodhgarm pointed at the next one, "has food and water nearby, but doesn't have too many natural defenses. We would have to devise our own."

"Hmm," Eragon muttered. "Alright, what about the next one?"

"The next one has water and mountains, but animals are quite rare there. We would have to breed them in order to get the population to sustain a group of people, as well as dragons."

"And the fourth?" Eragon asked, his heart sinking. All of the islands had some sort of major problem with it.

Blodhgarm hesitated. "It is my belief that the fourth island is the best one. Although it does not have any natural defensives on the island itself; it is surrounded by a whirlpool. No one without magic could possibly cross it. However, if you have magic, it is quite easy to get across."

"What about wildlife and water? And resources?" Eragon demanded.

"Those are plentiful, we will not need to worry about those."

"Then in my opinion, the fourth island is definitely the best," Eragon said, confused on why they were arguing. A female elf was shaking her head.

"We will run the risk that some sort of magic user will hear about where we are and be able to sneak onto the island."

"Aye, that's true," Eragon admitted. "But how long will it take them? First off, I doubt we will be bothered for years, as Alagaesia must rebuild. Then, they would need to find us, which would be a challenge on its own. Finally, after a few years, we will already have Dragon Riders who can defend, it won't just be defenseless hatchings."

The female elf paused. "I suppose you are right Shadeslayer," she admitted. She bowed to him. "Let us sail onto the fourth island,"

"What is the name of the island?" Eragon asked.

"It was known as Vralrim," Blodhgarm replied.

"To Vralrim!" Eragon cried, and the elves cried back, "To Vralrim!" Above them, Saphira roared and breathed a 100 foot long torrent of fire. Eragon chucked, then turned back to Blodhgarm. "About that breakfast…"

**Well, Chappie One comes to a close. What didja think? Bad, Horrible, or Throwup-worthy? Tell meh!**

**Flames will be donated to Saphira, she needs em!**

**Note: I will not make Chapter 2 until I get 10 million reviews, so review review review! :D**

**Hope you enjoyed! Until next time!**

**~ASumBohDee**


	2. The Whirlpool of Vralrim

**Well****，****I didn't get the 10 million reviews =( Oh well, thanks to all reviewers, I shall respond to the reviews I have received at this time :P**

**JonathonDickson: I'll do my best in this chappie. And also, I have no idea ^_^ bear with me here!**

**booklover1398: Thanks a lot! You'll see how they get over :D**

**lightningkid333: Sorry pal, you got beat to the punch. But thanks a bunch, means a lot!**

**JillayPotter: Thank you, and thank you again! Much appreciated!**

**: Uh, thank you? I'm doing my best methinks :P**

**Emerald Tsukino: Thanks, I'll try to make this chappie longer ^^**

**Anonymous: Whoever thou art may be, I thankee thee! Seriously, much appreciated!**

**Wolfone10: I must LOL at that. I did my best, not sure if I got em down good enough… =(**

**pie: No, I merely need 10 million. And here it comes! :D**

**tollulu: Thanks a bunch! I'm getting there :D**

**That's all the reviewers I've received for chapter one. Thank you to you all! Me hopes I can get more to make this better. Oh yes, if you haven't read Shur'tugal by fanf1ction, I highly recommend it. It's like CP wrote it himself ! :O If you liked mine, you will adore his, then spit on my story, so go read it!**

**(That was probably bad in attracting new readers, but I just HAD to do it, it's good)**

**Anyhoos, onto chapter 2! Into Vralrim !**

A voice bellowed through Eragon's brain. '_ERAGON! GET UP!'_ Saphira roared. Eragon started and jumped up, almost banging his head on the low ceiling of his cabin.

'_What is it Saphira?'_ Eragon asked before being thrown across the cabin from a huge wave. "Letta!" Eragon shouted and stopped his face from being smashed into a pulp, barely.

_'That's what! I must fly higher! These winds are going to make me drop into the ocean!' _Saphira growled before flying up.

'_Be safe!_' Eragon called. Saphira acknowledged him before flying up into the clouds. Eragon quickly put on his boots and rushed out his cabin. What was outside shocked him.

In contrast to yesterday, you could barely see five feet in front of you. That's how thick the fog was. Lightning crackled and thunder boomed in the clouds. The waves were not the small rolling waves from yesterday, but over forty feet tall. The ship went up and down, up and down; sending spray up into the ship. An amount of seawater equivalent to a bucket slammed into Eragon's face, drenching him. "Thurra," Eragon muttered, and his clothes immediately dried out, as did his hair. Eragon ran around the boat until he found the elves.

"Blodhgarm, what's wrong? How did this change so quickly?" Eragon yelled over the thunder and lightning. Rain started to pour down, slowly at first, but gaining momentum.

"Shadeslayer, I do not know myself," Blodhgarm shouted. "I believe that there is ancient magic at work here!"

"Thurra," Eragon muttered again, and his clothes yet again, dried instantaneously. A female elf Eragon knew to be Lifaen shouted down from the crow's nest;

"Shadeslayer, we have a problem,"

"What is it Lifaen?" Eragon shouted back, using magic to amplify his voice.

"The whirlpool, the one that guards the island, is about a league up ahead, and we are going straight towards it!" Lifaen shouted back, seemingly under control, but with a hint of panic in her voice.

"Flauga," Eragon muttered and he soared up to Lifaen's height. He dropped down into the crow's nest and looked out. Sure enough, about a league away was a whirlpool. But it wasn't any kind of whirlpool. This whirlpool was at least 700 feet across. Eragon was slack jawed, looking at it in awe. It was monstrous. Beautiful and dangerous. "How will we cross that?" Eragon muttered to himself. Eragon jumped off and slowed himself with "Letta," before hitting the ground.

"Lifaen is right, there is a whirlpool up ahead, but that's not the worst of it," Eragon warned.

"What is the matter?" Blodhgarm asked.

"The whirlpool itself, is over 700 feet wide," Eragon replied. Annoyed, Eragon intoned "Thurra," again before turning back to the elves. "We need a plan to get over it,"

"Why can you not use your magic Shur'tugal?" Lifaen asked, landing softly beside him.

"The problem is not me lifting this ship, but keeping it aloft for the entire time. Even with the Eldunari, I'm not sure if I can keep it up for that long," Eragon replied.

"Can Saphira fly us over?" Another elf inquired.

"Saphira can barely keep herself aloft, not to mention an entire ship, I do not think she can do it," Eragon said, getting frustrated.

'_Eragon,'_ Saphira panted.

'_Yes?'_ Eragon asked, immediately concerned.

'_I don't know how much longer I can battle these winds. These may be even worse than the storm on the way to Vroengard,' _Saphira said, her voice sounding fainter.

_ 'Couldn't you ride the drafts?'_ Eragon asked.

'_There's no pattern to the winds,'_ Saphira explained tiredly. '_It's buffeting me from every which way, I don't know how much longer I can fight this.'_

Eragon immediately lent her some strength and felt his energy drain a bit. He didn't want to use the Eldunari yet, he was fearful he would need every ounce of magic in order to pass the whirlpool.

'_Thank you Eragon,'_ Saphira said gratefully.

'_Anything for you, Saphira,'_ Eragon replied, smiling.

'_Oh little one,'_ Saphira growled fondly before shutting her mind off, concentrating on getting through the storm. Eragon felt almost lonely when Saphira retreated into her own mind, but soon forgot the small detail as the whirlpool loomed closer.

If Eragon believed the whirlpool large when he was looking at it from a league away, from a mere 1000 feet away, it's size was almost unnatural. Perhaps it was. "Who could have made this?" Eragon asked aloud, not expecting an answer. An answer he did not get.

It could not be called a mere whirlpool. A whirlpool are the little eddies that are formed when you push water forward with a paddle. This behemoth roared, sending water everywhere as it spun, a spiral hole in the center going down to the depths of the ocean. Eragon shivered. He did not want to become trapped in there. It would be a long, slow, painful, and cold death that would await him. But Eragon could not see another way past it.

Behind the immense wall of spinning water, the only thing it could be called, was a beach. The white sand stood out dramatically with all the trees and undergrowth behind it. According to Blodhgarm, there was a meadow of some sorts inland, but besides this beach, the map showed no other entry onto the island. It showed cliffs, some which would be easily climbable, but no place to store a massive, elf-made ship. The beach was their only option.

'_Eragon, I made it!'_ Saphira gasped.

'_Good!' _Eragon exclaimed. '_Stay on the beach and rest, there's nothing you can do for us.'_

_ 'Eragon!' _Saphira growled. '_I am a dragon. I can do pretty much anything I would like.'_

_ 'I know Saphira,'_ Eragon said patiently. '_But at the moment, you are in no condition to do anything.' _When Saphira tried to resist, Eragon asked, '_Do you supposed you are going to lift this boat and carry it over the whirlpool?'_ When Saphira fell silent, Eragon said, '_I thought so. You're tired enough as it is, leave it to me.' _Saphira sniffed.

'_Whenever I leave things to you, there's bound to be trouble.' _But she relented. Eragon smiled.

'_Of course there is. Now leave me to my troubles.'_ Saphira snorted.

'_Be careful little one.' _Saphira warned.

'_Yes, Saphira. I love you,'_ Eragon said fondly.

'_I love you too little one,'_ Saphira said softly before Eragon closed his mind to her. His eyes narrowed, he had a plan.

If they could ride the outside of the whirlpool, until they were on the far edge, Eragon could use the spell, "Ganga fram" to push the ship forward and into safety. Eragon quickly found the elves and explained his plan to them.

"You realize," A male elf warned. "If your plan fails, the Dragon Riders, and all of Alagaesia, may be doomed."

"We don't have a choice," Eragon replied quickly. "We're headed toward that thing anyways," Eragon pointed at the whirlpool. Everyone's gaze shifted towards it before quickly looking back, as if staring into the eyes of one's most feared enemy. "Unless you have a better idea, this is the only one we have."

The elf looked at Eragon before bowing. "No Argetlam, your choice is the only one I see as well. Our strength is yours,"

'_As is ours,'_ Umaroth whispered.

Eragon bowed back. "Thank you," '_And thank you', _he quickly said to Umaroth. "Now," Eragon said, rubbing his hands. "Let's get down to business."

As they rode closer and closer to the whirlpool, Eragon started to notice a sort of entity forming as he rode closer. He asked Umaroth, '_Have you seen anything like this?'_

'_In all of our years, we have yet to see, or even hear of, magic like this,'_ Umaroth replied. '_I'm sorry, but the only thing we can lend you is our strength,'_

'_Aye, I wasn't expecting you were,'_ Eragon said reproachfully, but also with great respect.

_'What is that supposed to mean, hatchling?' _Umaroth growled.

'_Oh nothing. Nothing at all,'_ Eragon replied quickly. "NOW Blodhgarm!" Eragon shouted as they came up to the whirlpool.

On first appearences, the whirlpool looked to be rotating slowly. This is what Eragon was counting on, drag towards the middle, but something slow, so the ship would have time to completely revolve around before getting sucked into the ocean. However, Eragon was horribly, horribly wrong. The whirlpool, almost with a vengeance, whirled them around at high speeds, and sucking them in as well. The speed of it shocked Eragon. One moment they were on the edge; the next, over 50 feet nearer to the center of the whirlpool. Yet also, Eragon sensed an almost curiosity emitting from the whirlpool itself. Eragon decided to try to reach the supposed entity. As he reached out, he felt a mind unlike anything he had encountered before. It was ancient beyond belief, even older than the oldest of the Eldunari. Yet in some ways, it almost seemed young, curious and wanting to explore. It didn't communicate in words or even picture, but ideas. It was a very simple mind, but a deep and complex one at the same time. Eragon was shocked.

Suddenly, the entity went to study Eragon. Eragon was frozen. He could not retract his mind. It was not like the Eldunari trapping him and studying every memory of his. It was as if he simply did not remember how to bring himself back. Then, a voice, almost like the wind, barely there, brushed his mind. It did not talk in words, but shared ideas about a Dragon Rider upon a sapphire dragon. Then it showed Eragon things he did not understand. It shared to him ideas about a tree being a tree, a stream being a stream, and many other things being themselves. Eragon was completely confused. Suddenly, it came to him. The mind was showing him the names of things. Eragon asked it , '_Do you want my name?'_ and tried to transform that thought into ideas. He thought he got his idea across as the being seemed to hum like Saphira did when she was pleased. Eragon told it, '_My name is Shur'tugal Eragon Shadeslayer Kingkiller Bromsson.'_

The mind seemed to darken, almost in anger of disappointment. Even though Eragon was oblivious to the rain pouring down, the lightning and thunder, and the speed of the whirlpool, everything sped up. The rain literally fell in bucketfuls, lightning strikes were more frequent and longer, thunder roared for what seemed like an eternity and whirlpool spun even faster.

Eragon knew there was only one other name he could give. '_Do you wish to know my true name?'_ he asked calmly, even as the ship spiraled closer and closer to the whirlpool's abyss. The whirlpool hummed again, Eragon unhesitatingly shared it with this mind. He felt the familiar shiver as he spoke his own name, knowing that that's who he was. The mind seemed to ponder over his name. The mind hummed again. Eragon was released from the entity's sort of bonds and he collapsed back into his own mind and body again.

Eragon was again aware of his surroundings again. The rain stopped, and the clouds floated away, revealing a clear blue sky, the sun shining brightly down upon him. Eragon laughed with joy. He saw Saphira on the beach. Saphira roared to the sky and celebrated by dousing the skies with sapphire flame. Blodhgarm ran up to him.

"It appears old friend," Eragon told Blodhgarm, "we have survived, again." Blodhgarm bared his fangs in a sort of smile.

"Indeed we have Shadslayer. Indeed we have."

Whilst they were talking, the whirlpool had gently transferred them across itself and into the calm harbor between the whirlpool and the beach. The elven ship sailed proudly onto the beach and stopped. Eragon dropped down to the sand and smiled in wonder. They had made it to Vralrim.

**SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. What'd yall think? Mehopes you enjoyed it. The thought of returning to Nasuada and others POV would be good, so imma do that next chappie. I implore you to review, though you don't have to. :D**

**(I used big words, c'mon, you can't resist ^^)**

**Until next time my friends (and foes)**

**ASumBohDee**


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